Most important! - Be aware of any
typhoons affecting the Philippines by looking daily at the typhoon warning satellite image below. The
image is live from the US Navy website.

The Philippines is in the tropics and
therefore does not experience 4 seasons - Filipinos generally have
no concept of spring or autumn

Near sea level, the temperature is somewhere
between warm and very hot, 365 days a year, day and night - note
though that some buildings and public transport can have airconditioners
set to very cold.

It is very hot when the sun is out,
and less so when it is overcast.

It is always humid, but reduces with
altitude. e.g. your skin can get quite dry in Sagada.

It can get quite cold at night in the
mountains - under 10 degrees in January - so pack a light jacket.

December, January and February are the
coolest months.

March, April and May are
the hottest months.

The typhoon season is
June to November, but occasionally typhoons occur outside of the
typhoon season.

Monsoonal rains and thunderstorms can occur randomly during the
typhoon season and are usually very localized and therefore are
not very predictable. Look at a satellite weather image and
check on the amount of cloud cover or water vapor over your
area.

Even if a typhoon is
not going to hit directly, it can bring rain to areas a thousand-plus
KM away.

Typhoons and heavy rain
frequently cause landslides, causing roads to be cut. Local busses
and jeepneys operate between landslides to ferry people around,
but it can be a big problem if you have a private car. If you want
to travel in the mountains during the wet season, it is best to
do so at the beginning of your holidays - delays will then
not cause you to miss your flight out of the Philippines.

Typhoons, heavy downpours, and long
continuous rain can cause severe flooding in Manila. Because much
of Manila is at sea level, or below, flood waters can stay for a
very long time. Only when the ocean tides are low will the water
drain away.

Typhoon Awareness

It is important to be typhoon aware when travelling in the
Philippines. "Typhoon" is the local name for a tropical cyclone. You
need to know if a typhoon is coming, and, if so, where is it
going and what is its severity. Don't just rely on local news or the advice
of local people.

Below is an up-to-date image from the US Naval Maritime
Forecast Center / Joint Typhoon Warning Center (NMFC/JTWC). It
which will give you the earliest warning of a typhoon. You can
see it from this page or go directly to the Navy website and see
it from there.

"Poor" tag means that the weather at a point they are tracking
looks ominous but has a poor chance of developing into a
typhoon.
"Fair" means there is a fair chance of it developing into a typhoon.
"TD" means tropical depression.
"TS" means tropical storm.
"TY" means Typhoon.

Once a weather system develops into a tropical depression or
beyond, you can get get predictions about its path and intensity by following this link
Weather Links. WIth
this tropical cyclone information, you can now better plan your
holidays.

Note that even a tropical depression can bring a tremendous
amount of rain resulting in massive flooding or landslides.

The US Navy and Japanese weather website
gives valuable typhoon information and forecasts. There are others also,
so familiarize yourself with one before you commence your Philippines
holiday, especially if you intend to travel during the typhoon season.
These sites will usually give several to many days notice of a typhoon and
its path so you can plan around it. This is what I do ...Always!

The
Philippines weather service provided by PAGASA is useful for checking
day to day weather conditions around the Philippines but it is not
particularly good for advanced information.

Due to the sinking
of a large passenger ferry in 2008, there are now tighter
restrictions on passenger ships leaving in bad weather
conditions. Expect that you will not be able to travel by sea
several days before a typhoon hits and a day or so after it
leaves.